The Ghost of Spectre's Cape
by mitchkat1
Summary: A few years after Luke's departure from London, he receives a letter from Flora, requesting his help. The Professor has gone missing during an investigation and she wants Luke to help her find them. The two of them travel to the mysterious town of Spectre's Cape and find a mystery awaiting them and hopefully, the Professor.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic dealing with Professor Layton, and a bit different from my usual Vocaloid stories. I just finished the final game and am sad to see the series go. The ending of the third game was never enough for me and I've always wondered what happened after. So, I decided I would write a story about what happens when Luke is grown up. The fanfic also explores the possibility of romance between Luke and Flora, which I have always been a fan of.**

 **Lately, I've had trouble finding the motivation to finish or start new stories, but I really want to finish this one. Hopefully, I'll continue to write a lot more in the future. I haven't fully been into the fanfic front for a few years.**

 **Without further ado, I present the beginning of this story. All the characters and the Professor Layton franchise belong to Level 5 and Nintendo.**

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I received Flora's letter in the middle of June, just after the end of school. It was the first time I had ever received a request to solve a mystery. The Professor used to receive letters of request all the time back in London. It was also the first letter Flora had sent me in months. Though we had promised to keep in touch, we both lead busy lives and the time between our letters grew larger as the years passed. Her last letter came a few months ago, during the middle of my final year of high school. It was a casual letter, detailing her daily life with Professor Layton. However, this letter was different.

I remember coming home from the store and watching the mailman stick a letter into the mailbox. After he walked away, I quickly opened it and grabbed the letter placed inside. The address was written in Flora's familiar handwriting. With a smile, I opened it and began to read.

 _Dear Luke,_

 _It has been a long time since I last wrote, but I need your help. Around a month ago, the Professor's presence was requested in the small town of Spectre's Cape. He was asked to solve a mystery that was plaguing the village. I thought little of it at the time. The Professor promised to return in a few weeks and arranged for another professor to take over his classes. A few weeks passed, and the Professor did not return. I contacted Dean Delmona to see if he had anything about the Professor's prolonged absence. He knew no more than I. I'm worried something has happened to the Professor, but I'm not sure what to do. You're the only one that can help, Luke. You know the Professor even better than me and you have the best chance of finding him. Please write back, so I know that you are coming._

 _Love,_

 _Flora_

I felt myself tense up as I read the letter. The Professor was missing? How could that be possible? The Professor could puzzle his way out of any situation. It never crossed my mind that he could be in any kind of trouble. With the letter tight in my hand, I ran into my house, where my mom was beginning to cook dinner. She was chopping onions as she saw me throw the groceries on the table. "Please be more careful," she sighed, setting down the knife. "I don't want everything to get bruised."

"Read this," I said, handing her the letter. Mom looked confused, but she took the letter from my hand and began to read. Her eyes quickly scanned over the lines and a concerned look appeared on her face. "Clark!" she called up to my father, who was working in his study. I heard him shuffle down the stairs and appear in the kitchen. "Yes?" he asked, eyeing the food that Mom was cooking. "Is it almost time for dinner?" he smiled. Mom frowned and handed him the letter. Dad took it and read it. His reaction was identical to Mom's.

"Hershel is... missing?" he said, in shock, once he finished reading the letter. "This is serious. Luka, you're friend, Flora, sent this to you?" I nodded and Dad handed the letter back to me. "It sounds like she needs you desperately. I suppose we'll be sending you back to London a bit sooner than expected."

"You're letting me go? Just like that?" I asked. I wasn't expecting to be allowed to travel overseas so immediately. I thought Mom would put up at least some resistance. She wanted to spend as much time with me as possible before I headed back to London for university. "If Hershel really is missing," Mom started, "someone needs to go after him and you have been specially requested. You're a grown-up now, Luke. I believe you can handle it." Her face was a bit pale, and I could tell she was still a bit reluctant to let me go, but we both knew it was something I had to do. "I'll purchase you a ticket for the next ship to London," Dad said. "You'd better start packing."

Only two days later, I was on a ship, headed for London. Mom made me promise to keep in touch. She wanted a letter at least once a week, just to be safe. She knew that I wouldn't be home for a long while. Once this ordeal with the Professor was over, I planned to study at Gressenheller University. I planned on traveling to London during the beginning of August. Now, I would just stay in London. I had originally planned to surprise the Professor and Flora with my return, but I had to go forgo that idea.

Now, here I was, standing in front of the door to the Professor's home. My suitcase was in one hand and Flora's letter in the other. I knocked on the door, and waited for a moment. I heard footsteps from inside and the door opened. Flora's face peaked out, but she looked different than I had remembered. She still looked tall, though I was taller than her now. Her brown hair was pulled back into a familiar ponytail, but her face looked more mature. She was beautiful.

"Luke?" she asked in surprise. "It's really you! You really came!" She rushed over and hugged me, tightly. I blushed since I wasn't expecting such an affectionate display. "You're so tall!" Flora gaped, as she released me from her hug. "You look almost like a man," she giggled. "Of course," I huffed. "I am 18 already."

"You're still wearing that silly blue hat, though," Flora said, pointing to my hat. "It's not silly," I frowned. "And I happen to like this hat, thank you very much." Flora laughed, and grabbed my suitcase from my hand's. "I'll take this. Come inside." I followed her in and was surprised to see that the Professor's house hadn't changed much in the years I was gone. It was still the organized mess that it had been when I left. Newspaper clippings, archeological tools, puzzles, and more littered every possible surface. The Professor must have been busy before he left.

"Sorry for the mess," Flora apologized. "I haven't done much cleaning since the Professor left. He doesn't really like his things being moved anyway. She set down my suitcase and pulled a chair away from the kitchen table. "Please sit and I'll brew some tea. You like it sweet, right?" I nodded in reply. "It's funny the things you remember," Flora said, as she placed the teapot on the stove. "Oasis Berry, as I recall."

"So, how have you been?" I asked. "Has life with the Professor been exciting, as usual?" I smiled, as I thought fondly of the multiple adventures the Professor and I went on during our time together. There was rarely a dull moment. "Not really," Flora replied, as she took a seat next to me. "Since you left, the Professor has really settled down and hasn't really take many trips. He's spent most of his time homeschooling me or teaching his classes. It's been almost... boring."

"That's odd," I said. "People always seem to be requesting the Professor's help."

"The requests never stopped coming," Flora answered. "But the Professor never felt up to taking them on. He's been a little different since you left. He's been sad. I can't imagine how rough it was for the both of you two. You were together for so many years and suddenly, you were gone. The Professor took it pretty rough." I was afraid that this would happen. I had a rough time adjusting to life without the Professor, and I thought he might too.

"But the Professor was a lot happy, starting about 2 months ago!" Flora exclaimed. "He got some letters from his brother, who was out traveling the world. Did you know he had a brother? I had no idea!"

"Yeah, I knew," I replied. The Professor and I hadn't heard from Descole in years, not after our encounter with the Azran. I wonder what had caused him to send a letter to the Professor. Even though Descole had done a lot of evil things in the past, I think the Professor still cared a lot about him. "No one ever tells me anything," Flora sighed. "I feel like you and the Professor always had so many secrets and stories. You all rarely told me about your past adventures."

"I suppose we were just too caught up in the present," I laughed. "Too many puzzles to solve." The kettle began to whistle and Flora stood up to pour the tea. She brought 2 cups back over and set one in front of me. I picked mine up and took a sip. It was hot and sweet, just how I liked it.

"I can't express how happy I am to see you," Flora started. She gave me a bright smile, and I blushed again. I don't remember her being so pretty. "But the circumstances of our meeting are less than happy. What do you think we should do, about the Professor, I mean?"

"We'll have to go and find him ourselves!" I said. "A true gentleman always helps those in need, and I would say the Professor is in need of our help!"

"We're going to find him?" Flora asked. "Of course," I smiled. "Who else would be able to find him except his brilliant apprentice?"

"And me!" Flora exclaimed, hitting me on the shoulder. "And you," I laughed. "Now, do you know where this town he went to is, this Spectre's Cape?" Flora nodded and stood up. She grabbed a piece of paper of a nearby counter. "The Professor used this map before he left. He circled Spectre's Cape." Flora pointed to a town encased by a red circle. "It's north of London, near the sea. It's a few hours away, though, and we have no way of getting there. The train doesn't run very close. The Professor drove there."

"It looks like the train runs through a town a couple miles away from Spectre's Cape. We can take it there and then figure out how to get there once we arrive. You should pack up your stuff. We should leave immediately."

"This is so exciting!" Flora exclaimed. "For once, I've been invited to go on one of your adventures. I won't be left behind!"

"Geez," I sighed. "I didn't know you were that upset about being left behind." I felt a pang of guilt for always leaving Flora behind. "Of course I was upset," Flora frowned. "You and the Professor both knew that I hated being alone, but you always tried to leave me behind. I know it was always for my safety, but I still didn't like it." Flora walked away to gather her things and then we would leave. I had only been in London for less today and already the 2 of us were going to set out on an adventure. It was refreshing. Life in America was a bit bland in comparison to my life with the Professor. I had missed the thrill of adventure and the possibility of new puzzles that awaited me.

"I'm ready to go!" Flora announced, as she set down a suitcase on the table. "That was quick!" I exclaimed. I hadn't even finished my tea. "I've been prepared for a while," she admitted. "Let's go then," I said, grabbing my own suitcase. Flora locked up the house and then the 2 of us headed to the train station.

At the train station, I purchased 2 tickets to the town near Spectre's Cape. Flora and I had about 30 minutes before the train arrived. We took a seat a bench near the train platform. "I haven't ridden a train in so long," Flora said. "Not since we rode the Molentary Express. That was such a nice train, though you and the Professor left me behind again."

"That was accident!" I pointed out. "We didn't mean to leave you behind. We just mistook someone else for you. That's all." Though I was embarrassed to admit it, the Professor and I had been tricked by Don Paolo and brought him, disguised as Flora, along instead of the real Flora. She wasn't very happy when we went back to get her.

"It's all water under the bridge now," Flora smiled. "I'm over it." A pair of women walked passed the bench and looked at us. "What a cute couple," one whispered to the other. "How adorable." I turned red at their remarks, but Flora didn't seem to hear them. The two of us were silent for a moment, and then Flora spoke up. "I'm really glad you're here with me. I can't wait until we find the Professor too. He's going to be so excited to see you!"

What would the meeting between the Professor and I be like? We hadn't seen each other for a while. I imagined that he would be the same, though I was quite different. I had so many things to tell him and I couldn't wait to be back, working beside him.

A loud train whistle awoke me from my inner thoughts. A coal black train pulled into the station. "Here it is!" Flora yelled, standing up. "Let's go!" She grabbed my hand, and pulled me along, almost causing me to leave my suitcase behind. We boarded the train, where we sat in two seats facing each other.

"We're actually doing this!" Flora giggled, unable to control her excitement. A man came by to check our tickets and told us to enjoy our trip. In a few minutes, the train started to move and soon, we were going across the countryside. The lush, green landscape flew by in a blur. Flora fell asleep, and laid her head against the cushiony seat for support. I fell asleep not soon after.

We both awoke to the conductor's call that we would be arriving at the Hansbury station, which was our stop. We grabbed our suitcases out from under our seats, as the train rolled into the station. When it came to a stop, Flora and I hopped off and found ourselves in a small, but busy country town. Outside the train station was a street market, bustling with people. Brightly colored stalls lined the streets. People were shouting and bargaining. "Look at all the shops!" Flora exclaimed. "Can we look around?"

"Maybe on our way back," I answered. "But right now, we have to focus on the Professor. What if he's in big trouble? Every minute we waste could mean that something awful happens to the Professor."

"You're right," Flora sighed. "How are we going to get to Spectre's Cape now that we're here?" I was quiet as I thought to myself. We couldn't drive there since neither of us had a car. The train wouldn't take us there either. I scanned the market place for a possible solution. One store caught my eye. The sign on the front said "Scooter Rental". "I have an idea," I replied.

I went into the store and found that it was renting our electric scooters. This was perfect. I gave the woman at the counter enough to money to rent the scooter out for a week, just in case. The woman brought out a white scooter and I thanked her. I wheeled it out to Flora and she looked at it confused. "Is this how we're going to get there?"

"Yep," I smiled. I grabbed her suitcase and mine and strapped them to the back. I got onto it and put in the key. I gave it a turn and the scooter's engine gave a roar. "Hop on," I said, gesturing to the seat. Flora hesitantly got on. "Hold on tight," I cautioned. "We're going to go fast." Flora wrapped her arms around me, and pulled herself close to my back. Again, I blushed. I needed to get a bigger grip on myself. I pushed down the scooter's pedal and we sped off.

We traveled along a country road that seem to be leading out to the sea. "I didn't know you knew how to ride a scooter," Flora said. "I had a friend that rode on one all the time," I explained. "She took me out on it a couple times. She even let me drive it a couple times. That was a while ago though."

We drove until the road seemed to come to a complete stop. At the end of the long road was a seaside town. That was it, Spectre's Cape. It was surrounded by green forests and the sea. It was like something from a postcard. Nothing about it looked ominous. It looked like a normal town, but there was obviously something strange about it, otherwise the Professor would have never come.

"Flora," I began. "What kind of request did the Professor get? What was the reason he came down here?"

"I'm not sure," Flora said, biting her lip. "He didn't explain much to me before he left. All I heard was something about a mysterious ghost. That was all." A ghost? It would take more than a silly ghost to attract the Professor's attention, especially since he had hardly taken any requests. There was something more to all this, but I didn't know what.

Flora and I entered Spectre's Cape and parked the scooter in the lot of the first store we saw. "What do we do know?" Flora asked. "Let's see if we can find an inn or something. Tomorrow, we can ask around town about the Professor." I saw a group of boys standing on the sidewalk, close to the store where we had parked the scooter. "Excuse me," I said, walking over. "Could you please tell me where the nearest inn is?" The boys looked at me, a bit confused. "Who are you?" one of them asked. "I'm Luke Triton. I'm from London, and I was wondering where my friend and I could spend the night."

"I'm Alex and this is Arran," the tallest boy said, as he gestured to the short boy next to him. The shorter boy was quiet and said nothing. "I'll tell you where the inn is," Alex smirked, "but you'll have to solve my puzzle to find it."

"What is it then?"

"From our current position, the inn lies 3 blocks in the direction of morning sun and 2 blocks of the rising moon." Alex crossed his arms and smiled. "Good luck solving that."

"Flora, let's go!" I called over to her. "I know where the inn is." Alex eyes widened in surprise. "How did you solve it so quickly? That's not fair!"

"A gentleman should be able to solve any puzzle," I smiled. "It was a good one though. Thanks." I gave Alex a quick wink and walked back over to Flora. She had pulled the scooter up. I took it from her and pushed it along the sidewalk, as she walked beside me. We arrived at a small inn. It was painted a pale yellow, which fit in well with the seaside theme of the town. I left the scooter outside and Flora and I walked in.

A middle-aged woman was at the reception desk. She was reading a magazine. Her brown hair was tied into a loose bun that was starting to fall out. She looked surprised to see us. "Excuse me," I asked. "Could we please have a room?"

"Yes, of course!" Her voice was loud. She pulled out a key from under the desk and handed it to me. I handed her the money for the room. "What brings you to Spectre's Cape?" she asked. "We don't get visitors often this far north."

"A friend of ours," I explained. "He came down here not to long ago and we're looking for him. Is this the only inn in town?" If it was, then the Professor probably stayed here. "It is," the woman replied. "Maybe the last guest was this friend of yours. He was a scholarly man with a tall and fancy hat. He easily solved a puzzle for me."

"That's him!" I exclaimed. "Have you seen him? Is he still here?" The woman shook her head. "He never checked out, but he hasn't been by for a couple days. Not really sure what happened to him. If you'd like, I can give you the key to his room and you can look around. You seem a bit worried about him."

"Thank you so much..." I paused. "Aggie," the woman finished. "No problem, kid. It's the least I can do." I thanked Aggie one last time and then Flora and I carried our things to our room. The inn only had two floors and both our's and the Professor's room were on the 2nd floor. Our room, like the rest of the inn, had a seaside theme. It had two beds for both Flora and me. By now, it was getting dark.

"Flora, let's go to sleep. We can search the Professor's room and begin our investigation tomorrow. No point in investigating while tired." Flora agreed and laid down in bed. She seemed to fall asleep the moment she hit the sheets. I got into the other bed, but didn't fall asleep so easily. I was worried about the Professor. What happened to him and what mystery did this seemingly innocent town hold?

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 **Reviews and Criticism are greatly appreciated. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for a later-ish update. This chapter has been written for a while, but I forgot to post it. Whoops!**

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Once I fell asleep, the night passed quickly. I awoke when the morning sun poked through the window's curtains. I gave a groan and placed my hand over my eyes to block them from the sun. I turned in bed to face Flora's bed and to my surprise, she was gone. In a bit of panic, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my hat from the edge of the bed. I put it on and ran out the room, heading towards the stairs. I quickly walked down them and entered the inn's lobby. Flora was sitting at a table in the lobby, drinking tea and talking to Aggie.

"Good morning!" she smiled, as she set down her tea. "Don't scare me like that," I sighed, pulling out a seat next to her. "I thought something had happened to you."

"What could have happened?" Flora asked. I gave a shrug. "I don't know. You just had me worried." Aggie gave a chuckle. "Ah, young love," she said dreamily. "Reminds me of the good old days."

"What do you mean!" I cried out. "Flora and I aren't... in love." I paused, a bit off put the idea. I was like a little schoolboy. The idea of love had never entered my radar. I noticed that Flora had turned a little red. This was quickly becoming a disaster. "When you're done with your tea," I started, regaining my composure, "we should check out the Professor's room." Flora nodded and took a sip of her tea. "I'm done! Thank you for the tea, Aggie. It was absolutely delicious!" Flora gave a curtsey and stood beside me. "Anytime dear," Aggie smiled. "I don't get customers too often, especially ones as sweet as yourself."

Flora and I headed back upstairs, towards the Professor's room. It was only a few doors away from ours. The door was closed, but Aggie said that it should be unlocked. I grabbed the door knob and gave it a twist. The door opened without problem, and when I looked inside, there was nothing immediately strange about the room. Sitting on a chair was the Professor's trunk. It was the same one he had been using for years. It was brown and a bit worn from all its use.

"He didn't come back for his trunk." I observed. "The Professor normally takes it everywhere, so he must not have planned on leaving yet." Flora bent down beside the trunk and opened it up. She grabbed a leather bound book from it. "Isn't this one of the Professor's journals?" she asked. "I've read some of his ones from earlier adventures. The two of you had a lot of fun before I arrived."

"Can I see it?" I asked. Flora handed me the book and I carefully opened it. It wasn't completely filled out yet. In fact, there were only a few entries. "He didn't write much yet," I explained. "He was just getting started before something happened. Maybe this journal can give us more information on what the Professor was investigating."

 _A Letter From a Stranger_

 _This morning I received an odd letter from an anonymous person. It requested my presence in the small seaside town of Spectre's Cape. Though I am trying to focus on teaching my classes, there is something about this case that peaks my interest. The letter says that the town is being haunted by the ghost of a young girl. Every night, she seems to roam the streets, crying out for something or someone. I doubt this is caused by the supernatural, but I must admit I'm curious. I plan to leave tomorrow. Hopefully, Flora will be fine for a few days while I am away._

"A ghost?" Flora asked. "We haven't heard anything about a ghost so far."

"You're right," I replied. "But we happened explored the town yet. Perhaps there are some people that can give us more information."

 _Arriving at Spectre's Cape_

 _The seaside village is as I expected. There is something calm and peaceful about it. It seems like it would be a popular vacation spot. I checked in at an inn in the downtown area to settle for the night. Tomorrow I will begin my investigation. The townspeople seem to be incredibly open and cooperative. I hope to talk to many of them tomorrow._

 _A Ghost in the Night_

 _During my first night in Spectre's Cape, I was awoken by the sounds of someone outside. It sounded like the cries of a young girl. I rushed to the window and was amazed to see a ghostly looking girl walking through the street. I ran out of the room and dashed out to the street. When I arrived however, she seemed to have vanished. Is this the apparition that the owner of the strange letter reported? How could such a thing be possible? There must be more to this than meets the eye._

"The Professor saw the ghost!" I exclaimed. "And this is his last entry. Did something happen to him because he saw the ghost?"

"The ghost didn't appear last night," Flora added. "Do you think she'll appear tonight?"

"I don't know, but we don't have time to wait around for her. We need to start looking around town. The longer we wait, who knows what could happen to the Professor!" Flora nodded in agreement. "Let's start off by talking to the townspeople. That was what the Professor wanted to do first, so we should follow in his footsteps."

Flora and I headed outside and took a quick look at what we were up against. The town was small in comparison to most, but there was still a lot of people to talk to. Across the street from the inn was a cafe with a big sign with a coffee cup on it. We decided that the cafe would be the best place to start.

When we walked in, a small bell above the door rang. "Welcome," a waitress, holding a tray of treats, said with a smile. She took the food of the tray and set it down at a table where an older couple was sitting. "Excuse me," I said. "Could I talk with you for a moment?"

"Sure thing, sugar!" she replied. She had a big smile plastered on her face. I wasn't sure if it was a real smile or a show she was putting on. "How can I help you? Would you two like something to eat? Or how about a nice cup of tea or coffee?"

"Actually, we have a couple questions for you," I explained. She raised her eyebrows. "What kind of questions? I'm very busy, ya know."

"We're looking for a friend," Flora said. "He looks really smart and has a tall top hat. Have you seen him?"

"Can't say I have, dear," the waitress answered. "There's no folk around here like that. Though I did hear that some stranger had entered town for a visit. That might be your friend. Don't know where he could be though."

"We have one more question," I continued. "What can you tell us about a ghost that haunts this town?" The waitress's face turned a bit pale. "How do you know about that?"

"That's not important. I just need to know what you know."

"I don't know too much. I try not to believe in all that supernatural mumbo jumbo, if you know what I'm sayin'. It's not good for the nerves. If you're really wondering, I'd ask the old lady that lives down the way. She's been here for years and knows all about the town, including your ghosty. Blue house, you can't miss it."

"Thanks," I smiled. I left a bit of money on the counter as a thank you for her help. The waitress grabbed it and put in her apron pocket. "You're a good kid," she added. "I can tell. I hope you find your friend." Flora and I gave her quick thank yous and left the cafe. "Isn't this exciting?" Flora said, almost skipping down the street. "A lead already!" We arrived at the blue house. The blue paint was starting to chip. It was obvious the house had been there for a while. I walked up to the door and gave a knock.

A short, old woman answered the door. Her huge black glasses just barely stayed on to her small nose. She gave me a questioning stare. "Can I help you?" she asked. Her voice was crackly. "I have a few questions for you. We would be really greatful if you could answer them for us. The waitress in the nearby cafe said you could help us."

"That's my granddaughter, Ailsa," the old lady sighed. "That girl can never keep her nose out of trouble, but never mind that. Please come in." The lady let us in and took us into her living room. We all took a seat, and she gestured for us to start talking. "What do you kids need?" she asked. "I've never seen you here before. Are you visiting someone?"

"Sort of," I said. "We're looking for a friend of ours, Professor Hershel Layton. He's tall and has a top hat that he likes to wear. Have you seen him at all?" The woman thought to herself for a moment. "I believe I saw a character like him a few weeks ago. He was a nice looking fellow. I watched him help out a couple of kids with a tough puzzle. Is he missing?"

"Yes," I replied. "He's been gone for a while and we're trying to find him. He came here on the request of investigating a ghost that's haunting Spectre's Cape. Could you tell us more about that?"

"You kids are well-informed," the old lady said. She leaned back in her chair. "Not many people know about our town's little secret. It's true that we have a ghost, though she hasn't shown up in many years. It was only recently that she started making an appearance. There's an old legend about a young girl who fell off a cliff while running away from home. It's a really a tragic story. She fell in love with some man that her father didn't like. She ran away from home, hoping to elope with him, but met an untimely death. Rumour says that she still wanders the town, searching for her love."

"That's so sad," Flora whimpered. "She never got to be with the person she loved and died instead. Love was all she had and even that was taken away from her."

"Has that ghost been an issue?" I asked. The old lady shook her head. "Lately, you can hear her moaning at night. Lots of people have left town after being spooked. A bunch of cowards, that lot. It's a bit bothersome when you're trying to sleep though."

"Have you seen the ghost outright?"

"I poked my head out the window and saw her one night. With my poor vision though, I couldn't tell much about her. She was pale though and ghastly looking. Her voice could give you the chills. Hopefully, that poor girl finds some peace and that leave the rest of us some peace during the night."

"You're awfully calm about this," I observed. "When you're as old as me," the old lady started. "Nothing gets ya anymore."

"Thank you for all of your help," I said graciously. "You've given us a lot of good information."

"Feel free to come back if you have anymore questions. That friend of yours is a good man. It would be a shame if something happened to him." Flora and I left the house, and I grabbed the Professor's Journal, which I had put in my bag. I jotted down someone of my own notes in it.

"Look!" Flora said, tugging on my shirt sleeve. "There's someone down the street. Let's ask them." Before I could stop her, she had run away. She ran so fast that she accidentally ran into the man she was going to talk to her. She hit him and fell against the ground with a loud thud. The man looked down at her with an angry gaze. "What are you doing?" I heard him yell, even from far away. "Look where you're going, you stupid girl!" I raced over and helped Flora of the ground. She looked like she was going to cry.

"It was an accident!" I shouted at the man. "No need to be so angry!" He crossed his arms and gave a huff. "She should be paying attention to where she was going," he retorted. "I'm so sorry," Flora cried, giving the man a small bow. "I wasn't paying attention." I put my hand on Flora's back. "It was just an accident," I glared at the man. "Nothing to get upset about." The man rolled his eyes and walked away. Flora still looked extremely upset. "Don't get down," I said, grabbing her hand. "Ignore that guy. He's a jerk." Flora nodded and gave me a smile. I smiled back. She seemed to feel a lot better after that.

Flora and I continued walk down the main street of the town until we reached the end. There were few people out on the street to talk to. We gathered only a bit more information. Only a handful of people had seen the Professor and know one knew where he had went. Most people knew the legend about the ghost girl and had reported seeing her a few times. No one seemed to be worried about her though. Everyone was relatively calm about it.

At the end of the street, we noticed a small, gravel path veering off from the main way. It seemed to lead up in the more mountainous area of town. In the distance, I could make out a large house. It was far away from most of town, such a strange location. "I wonder who lives up there," I pointed up at the house. "It must be a pain to get down to town from way up there." Flora and I gazed up at the house, when we were interrupted by someone's voice.

'What are you looking at?" the person asked. I turned around to see a middle aged man with a large bag on his shoulder. "Just that huge house," I answered. "It's magnificent, but it looks like it's really far away."

"That's the mayor's house," the man explained. "That house has been in his family for years. I don't think he'd ever move out. It's the nicest house in town. The mayor rarely comes down here though. Too much work to do, so I guess the distance isn't a big issue."

"Is that so?"

"By the way," the man said, sticking out his hand. "The name's Lewis. I'm the mailman around here. Can't say I've ever seen you two here before."

"We're visiting," I explained. I was getting tired of explaining to every new person what Flora and I were doing in town. "That's nice," Lewis said. "Hey, since I've stopped to talk to you, I'm running a bit behind on my route." He pulled a map from out his pocket. "My normal route is here on this map, but it's a bit long and tedious. Do you think you could find me a shorter route that still hits all my stops?" He handed me the map and a pencil.

"Sure," I said, taking the map and pencil. It took me a few seconds to work out what route would be best and then I drew it on the map. "Here," I handed Lewis the map and pencil. "That should work. You'll be done before you know it!"

"Thanks a bunch!" Lewis replied graciously. "I might use this route all the time." He headed off down the street to deliver the mail. "You're so sweet," Flora giggled. "And just like the Professor, you could never turn down a puzzle." I blushed at the compliment.

"Something about that house seems off to me," I said, getting back on topic. "We should check it out at some point." Flora agreed. I noticed that the sun was beginning to set. It was almost night time. "Let's head back to the inn," I said. "Maybe Aggie could help us with dinner. Tomorrow, I want to walk up to that mansion and check it out."

Aggie was happy to cook us a wonderful meal. She was extremely motherly and her biscuits were excellent. With full stomachs, Flora and I headed off to bed to finish our first day of investigation in Spectre's Cape.

Flora and I changed clothes and got into bed. I was about to turn off the lights when Flora started to speak. "Luke," she began. "Yeah?"

"Nothing..." she trailed off. "What is it? You can tell me?" I said. "I'm just worried about the Professor," she sighed. "He's done so much for me. If it wasn't for the Professor, I might still be waiting in St. Mystere in that lonely tower. I feel like I haven't repaid him yet. If don't know what I'll do if he's gone."

"Don't worry," I said. "You have me. Remember, I helped get you out too."

"Oh yeah. You were there too."

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding," Flora laughed. "Thanks. You seem to always know what to do to make me feel better."

"It's a gift," I joked. With that, Flora and I fell asleep, but that wouldn't last very long. It was about 1:00 when I heard a noise outside the window. It sounded like moaning. I threw back the covers and called Flora. She opened her eyes and asked me what was wrong. "I think I heard the ghost!" She quickly got up and tied up her hair. I looked out our window, but I didn't have a view of the street from it.

We ran out of the room and down the inn's stairs, trying not to wake Aggie. We exited the inn and were on the street. I looked around, but saw nothing nearby. Did we miss it? "Over there," Flora exclaimed, pointing towards the place where the street turned a corner. I saw someone turn the corner and disappear behind a building. "Let's go!" I yelled. Flora and I raced down the street after the ghost. We turned to corner and found the ghost hadn't gotten to far ahead of us.

This was the first good look I had gotten at her. She looked a bit younger than Flora and I. Her pink dress was long and seemed to be dirty and tattered in some places. Her hair was long and in a braid. Her skin was pale, but not as white as I had imagined. The most haunting thing about her was her moan. She seemed to yell out as if she was searching for something. "Stop!" I yelled to her, sticking out my hand. The girl quickly turned around, alarmed. Her eyes were wide in fear.

She started to run, so Flora and I ran to follow. "Where is she going?!" Flora asked in between breaths. "I don't know," I gasped. The ghost was fast and she probably knew this town better than we did. It was likely that she would lose us eventually. The ghost turned another corner into an alley. Flora and I entered the alley and found ourselves in a dead end. The ghost girl was stuck at the end.

She was shaking. It was clear to me that this girl was no ghost. It seemed that Flora had realized the same thing. "Don't be scared," Flora said in a soft voice. She reached her hand out to the girl. "We won't hurt you." The girl looked up at her, still looking frightened. "Leave!" she shouted. Flora moved back towards me. "Leave!" the girl yelled again. "You must leave!"

"What's wrong?" I asked, approaching the girl. "Who are you and why are you pretending to be a ghost?" Had this girl fooled this entire village into thinking she was a ghost? Had she fooled even the Professor? It was obvious she was know ghost, so how has everyone been so gullible? She was trapped and had no choice, but to answer our questions now. I didn't want to scare her more, but I needed answers.

"Have you seen a man with a tall hat? He's a Professor?" The girl's eyes widened. She knew something about the Professor. "Please tell us. He's our friend," Flora pleaded. "You must leave!" the girl repeated again. "Or you will both suffer the same fate as your friend!"

I became alarmed. What was she talking about? It was almost a threat. "What happened to him?" I demanded to know. The girl seemed about to cry. "Luke," Flora scolded me. "Calm down. You're scaring her even more." The girl looked at Flora and then to me. Suddenly, she dashed past us. "We can't let her get away!" I exclaimed as our chase began again.

Unfortunately, our efforts were fruitless. She disappeared from our sights almost instantly. "I can't believe we lost her!" I groaned. "We were so close."

"What do you think she met?" Flora asked. "What 'fate' has the Professor sufferred? Luke, I'm scared. What did she do to him?"

"I don't know," I said, trying to put on a brave face. I didn't want Flora to know that I was scared to. After all, a gentleman always helps a lady in need and right now she needed me. I couldn't back down and cower in fear. I had to find some answers. Who was that girl and what did she know about the Professor?

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 **Reviews and criticism appreciated :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Updates! \\(^o^)/**

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Flora and I tried to sleep off the rest of the night as best we could, but it was difficult. Our minds were plagued with worry. That girl made it seem like the Professor was in trouble, deep trouble. The questions about the Professor weren't the only ones swirling around in my head that night. I had many others. I was obvious that the ghost girl wasn't a ghost at all, so why had nobody noticed this yet? It's awfully strange for a mysterious girl to wander the streets at night and nobody has gotten a good look at her. At least, not a good enough to look to know that she isn't a ghost. I've also been wandering about her. What is she doing, roaming the town in the dead of night? There are so many mysteries to be solved, but right now, we had to focus on the Professor. My questions could wait for later.

The first thing I wanted to do in the morning was talk to that old lady again. We had been in such a frenzy yesterday that we hadn't even gotten her name. I had a couple questions I wanted to ask her after last night. Flora and I woke up early, and decided to grab a quick bite to eat at the cafe. When we walked it, it was crowded. I guess an early breakfast was common in town. We took a seat at an open table and waited for someone to come. To our merriment, Ailsa was our waitress for the morning.

"Nice to see ya two again," she smiled, as she set two menus in front of us. "Did you have any luck with Gran? I hope she didn't cause any trouble."

"She was very helpful," I answered. "She was able to answer a lot of our questions."

"She's very nice," Flora added. "I wish I had a grandmother like her." Ailsa gave a tiny smile. "She's great... sometimes." The three of us laughed and then Ailsa said she'd give us a minute to figure out what we wanted to eat. She'd come back later for our order. I had decided on some eggs and toast, while Flora wanted pancakes with juice.

The breakfast was delicious, and once we finished, I left the money for our meal on the table. Before we left, I told Ailsa that we were planning on visiting her grandmother once again, since we had a few more questions. "Fine by me," she shrugged. "Don't be afraid to tell her to 'shut her trap' if she talks too much."

Flora and I walked to the old lady's house and I knocked on the door. Just like yesterday, she came to the door and today, she was happy to see us. "Hello, you two!" she said, sounding a bit surprised. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon, but please come in." She led us back into her living room and we all took a seat.

"I suppose you must have a few more questions. You wouldn't spend time with an old thing like me without good reason."

"That's not true!" Flora injected. "I think you're great, Mrs..."

"Just call me Millie. That's what all the neighbors call me at least. I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself to ya'll yesterday. How rude of me."

"It's no problem," I told her. "Anyways, we wanted to ask you about that ghost again." Millie leaned forward, showing that she was listening. "Has anyone ever seen the ghost up close?"

"I don't think so," Millie replied. "That's mighty dangerous. Rumour has it, you look that ghost dead in the eye and you're a goner."

"W-what do you mean?" Flora asked in a shaky voice. She sounded nervous. "It's like a death wish," Millie explained. "You don't just see a ghost and come back to tell the tale." No wonder nobody thought the ghost was suspicious. No one had dared see her themselves. Superstition held them back. "The two of you should be careful," Millie cautioned. "I don't want anyone getting hurt chasing after that phantom." Flora and I were both silent. Neither of us felt like it was a good idea to admit we had seen the ghost, nonetheless chased her down the street.

"We'll be careful," I lied. "We'll try to steer clear of her." Millie smiled and stood up for her chair. "That's a burden of my heart. Would you both like a cup of tea? I was about to put the kettle on when you came."

"That would be great, thanks." Millie hobbled off to the kitchen to make some tea, leaving Flora and I behind. "Luke, what do we do now?" Flora asked. She seemed to be a bit scared after hearing Millie's tale. "Everything will be fine" I reassured her. "We know that there is no ghost, so how could she possibly hurt us?" Flora seemed to calm down a bit, but I noticed she kept pulling on her hair, a sign of her nervousness.

Millie returned in a few minutes with a tray of tea. She handed us our cups and I took a sip. It was a bit too bitter for my tastes, but I didn't say anything. A gentleman must always be polite. "Have you both gotten a good look at the town?" Millie asked. "There's many stores on the main street you might enjoy, not to mention the beach. I always thought this town would be a good vacation spot, but it never really took off."

"We've looked around a bit," I told her. "But we haven't strayed too far from the main road. We did see that huge house up in hills just aways from here. Someone told us that's where the mayor lives."

"That old place? That's where the mayor lives, though none of us can be too sure anymore. No one has seen him in years. That mansion is as old as the town itself and it probably fallen to pieces by now if no one has taken care of it. It was such a beautiful home back in the day."

"Why has nobody seen the mayor?"

"He's become a bit of recluse. His wife died many years ago, nobody knows of what or why. He was such a happy man. It makes me sad to think he's withered away in that house, all alone."

"Hasn't anyone tried to reach out to him?"

"After his wife died, lots people offered their support, but he shut them out. The poor man was depressed. Eventually, everyone just gave up. All his mayoral duties seem to get done, so no one seems to mind anymore." I made a mental note in my head to further investigate the mayor. There was something about his that seemed wrong. I felt like he would be a key piece of the puzzle.

"All this talk is so depressing," Millie sighed. "How about we lighten things up with a good puzzle?" She stood up from her chair and grabbed a box from a nearby shelf. "You see this mechanism at the top?" She pointed at the lid of the box. It was made of multiple pieces that seemed to move around. In the top corner of the box was a red piece, while the rest were golden. "See if you can get that red piece into the opposite corner, where that open space is, and you can keep what's in the box." I took the box from her hands and was starting to work on the puzzle when Flora tapped on my shoulder.

"Can I try?" she asked. I handed her the box and she set it on her lap. I watched her move the pieces around as she tried to puzzle out a solution. Within only a few minutes, she had solved it and the top of the box opened with a _click._ Inside was a variety of hard candy. "That was so fun!" Flora exclaimed, grabbing a piece of candy. I reached over and grabbed one too. "It's always a fan with the younger folk," Millie chuckled, grabbing a piece of candy for herself. "Now why don't you two scoot on out of here and enjoy the town. I know a couple romantic spots if you're interested." Flora and I turned red and Millie gave a little laugh. We thanked her for answering our questions and then we left.

"I'd like to investigate the mayor a bit," I told Flora. "There's something about him that doesn't fit right with me."

"I was thinking the same thing," Flora agreed. We walked down the main street of town until we arrived at the same spot as yesterday. The gravel path seemed to disappear into oblivion once it got close to the mountains, but I could barely make it out at its end by the mansion. Flora and I started to walk down the path, and I prayed that it wouldn't be a long trip. I was still tired from last night and my legs weren't feeling amazing. The path ran down along the beach, close enough to feel the sea air. It was refreshing.

"After we find the Professor, we should come back here again," Flora told me. "It's such a lovely little place. Think of how much fun we could have at the beach!" Flora's daydreams of sandcastles and waves were a good distraction from our nerves. Unfortunately, the path veered away from the beach and up towards the mountains.

We continued to walk until we came to a point where the path was only a few feet wide, just along the edge of a cliff. The cliff wasn't too huge. It was only a 15 metre drop to the bottom, but that was enough to cause some serious damage.

"Be careful," I warned. "I don't want to tell the Professor that you were the one that got in trouble before we found him." Flora nodded, and grabbed my hand for some extra security. The two of us walked carefully along the path. As long as neither of us did anything crazy, we would be perfectly safe.

Suddenly, I heard what sounded like an explosion and it was close. A cloud of dust and debris flew over us. I blocked my eyes with my hands, temporarily letting go of Flora. She let out a yell. That's when the ground underneath us felt unsteady. I looked down and saw multiple cracks form and then start to grow. "Hurry up and get to safer ground!" I hollered to Flora. The two of us ran as fast as we could to the area where the path was on solid ground. It was only a couple hundred metres away.

I reached safe ground no problem, but Flora was a bit further behind. I turned around and yelled to her to move along. "Come on! Almost there!" Flora was almost there, when the ground disappeared beneath her. For a moment, it looked almost like she was flying. I lunged forward for her and was able to grab her arms. She grabbed onto my arms as her body fell down against the side of the cliff. If I hadn't grabbed her, she would have fallen to the bottom. "L-Luke!" Flora cried. I could see small tears in her eyes. "Don't worry," I told her, though my heart was racing. "I'm pulling you up." I pulled her up and helped her wipe some of the dirt of her clothes. "Thank you!" Flora said as she gave me a giant hug. "I would've fallen." I hugged her back and was thankful that I managed to catch her in time. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her. "We're both safe now," I calmly said. "Everything should be fine."

But in the back of my head, I was worried. The cliff shouldn't have given out like that. That explosion had destroyed it and explosions just don't happen on their own. Someone was trying to get rid of us. Was this what Millie was talking about? Was the "ghost" trying to kill us? I couldn't believe that the scared girl from last night was a murderer, but someone out there was. Flora and I were getting close to something, and somebody knew that, and I knew this somebody was the one who had caused the Professor to disappear.

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 **Reviews and criticism appreciated! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**While posting this update, I'm currently on rewriting A Tale of Two Hearts, that Vocaloid story I wrote from way back when. If you're into that, you can check it out soon. I'm not sure yet if I'll delete the original story or just create a new one that says REWRITE. On with the actual story though...**

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Flora and I continued to head up the mountain along the path, but we stayed close together. We didn't want to risk any more accidents, especially if the perpetrator was still nearby. Things were going to be more dangerous from now on.

We reached the mayor's house and I was amazed at how magnificent it was up close. It was enormous, bigger than any normal house I had seen. It was covered in intricate columns and arches. When it was first built, it must have been incredible. But now age had worn it down. Creeping vines grew up the walls and the garden was overgrown. A cherub fountain sitting in the middle of the courtyard seemed to be filled with more dirt than water. The place gave off an eerie feeling, almost like it was haunted.

"Look at all these pretty flowers!" Flora gestured towards a group of wildflowers growing in front of the mansion's steps. She picked one and brought it to her face to smell. "On our way out, we can take a few back," I told her. As Flora continued to play among the flowers, I walked up the mansion's steps to its big front door. I grabbed its knocker and banged it against the door.

I was a bit surprised when a thin, nervous looking man answered the door. He was wearing a black suit, the kind that butlers would wear. Despite his timid appearance, he was young, probably only 20 years old.

"Sorry to bother you," I said to the man. "I'm Luke Triton and I was wondering if I could talk to the mayor. I have some extremely important questions for him." By now, Flora had joined me on the steps and was standing behind me, observing the man. "I'm sorry," the man frowned. "The mayor isn't here at the moment. You'll have to come back another time."

That's odd, I thought to myself. Millie said that the mayor never left his mansion, so where could he be? "Could you please let him know that I stopped by?" I requested. When the mayor returned, maybe he would have time to talk to us. "I'll let him know," the man nodded. "By the way," I asked, as the man started to close the door. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Ned, Mayor Pemberton's butler." Ah, so I was correct about him being a butler. With this remark, Ned shut the door and I heard it get bolted shut. "Well that was a bust," I sighed. "We came all the way up here for nothing, and we almost fell over a cliff."

"Where do you think the mayor went?" Flora asked, examining a pink flower in her hand. "I thought he never came out."

"That's what I thought."

"Maybe he's still inside?"

"What?" I asked. Flora might be on to something. "Well," she explained. "If I were in his shoes, I probably wouldn't come out for anything. I'd just send them away and pretend I wasn't home. Nobody would be the wiser."

"That's brilliant!" I exclaimed. Flora seemed a bit surprised at the compliment. "We have to get inside," I told her. "I have to know for sure if he's in there. We have to talk to him!"

"How are we going to get in?" Flora asked. "Ned locked the door, and there's no way he'll let us in."

"Maybe there's a window in the back. This place is so big, I'm sure no one would notice if we snuck in." I expected Flora to be a bit wary of my plan. After all, we could get in trouble if we were caught, but she seemed all for it. "Let's go!" she smiled. We wandered to the back of the mansion. Instead of having a backyard, the mansion backed up right into a huge forest. Even though it was the middle of the day, the tall trees blocked the sunlight, making the forest look ominous. I wouldn't want to take a trip into those woods.

Flora and I scanned the back of the house, looking for an open window. To our good fortune, there was one and on the first floor at that. The window provided only a small opening, so it would be a tight fit for me to get through. Flora could probably fit through easily. The window was grubby and you could hardly see through it. Flora decided she would go first and she carefully pushed the window open.

"You know," I told her as she pushed herself threw. "This window kind of reminds me of a puzzle I heard back in America." Flora was fully through the window and was now standing inside the mansion. She gave me an annoyed look. "Now really isn't the time for puzzles." I blushed, a bit embarrassed that she had called me out. The Professor used to always give me puzzles in tense situations. It helped relieve nerves.

"Hurry up!" Flora chided. I started to put my foot into the window, when I heard footsteps from inside the mansion. "Hide!" I told Flora. Flora rushed off into the mansion and I ducked down underneath the window. I tried to control my breathing and not make any noise. There was someone walking to the window. I could hear their footsteps and suddenly, I heard the _slam_ of the window being shut. My eyes widened in alarm. I was stuck outside while Flora was inside. Hopefully, whoever shut the window would disappear and Flora could come back and open it for me. I prayed that Flora wouldn't be caught.

I sat underneath the window for a while, until Flora returned and opened it for me. When I saw that she was okay, I gave a sigh of relief. I was about the enter through the window, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. One of the curtains in the upper window was swaying, as if it had just been shut. Had somebody seen us? Ignoring this, I pushed myself through the window and into the mansion.

The inside was even grander than the outside. Fancy carpets covered the floors. There was a huge grand piano in the corner of the room. I noticed a red velvet couch that looked very comfortable. This was all in just one room. I wondered what the rest of the mansion could look like. There were many paintings on the wall, a mix of landscapes and portraits. "The mayor must be rich," I said. "Just look at all these things." Flora was silent, staring at a portrait at a girl on the wall.

"Is something wrong?" I touched Flora on the shoulder and she seemed to return to her senses. "Sorry," she apologized. "This place... it just reminded me of my old home a little bit." I had forgotten that Flora had come from a similar background. She was born into a family of money and lived in a mansion like this for a long time, at least until she moved into that tower. Even though Flora had seemed to move on from her father's death and leaving her home of St. Mystere, she probably still thought about them often.

"Now if I were the mayor, where would I hide?" I thought aloud. "He'd probably be up in his room, which I'd assume would be on one of the higher floors. We should check there first."

"What do we do if we find him?" Flora asked. "We'll ask him our questions." I paused for a moment. "And then we'll get the hell out of here." Flora and I found a set of stairs, leading to the second floor and quietly walked up them. We noticed that the mansion seemed to have a lack of staff. It seemed like Ned and the mayor were the only ones living here.

The second floor had more rooms than I thought. Most of them appeared to be empty guest bedrooms. I don't know why you would have so many if you never had any guests. We didn't search room in depth. We didn't have time for that. We just opened each room's door and peaked in. If there was nothing there, we moved on. There was little time to spare.

After searching through about 20 rooms, I was ready to give up. "Maybe the mayor isn't in here," I sighed. "We can't give up!" Flora shouted in a determined voice. "This could be important. He might know something about the Professor!" If Flora wasn't going to give up, then neither was I. "Let's keep looking then," I told her.

We came across a room that was different from the generic ones we had seen. The walls were pink and instead of having a bed or dresser, there was an easel and lots of paint. There were a few paintings sitting on the floor. They looked to be in the same style as the paintings we had seen downstairs. The artist must live in this house. Perhaps the mayor had a secret hobby.

"Look at this one!" Flora pointed at the painting that was currently being worked on. In the center, there was a girl bending down to pick up a white flower. She seemed to be in a forest, similar to the one outside. "It's beautiful!" I noticed the girl in the painting had a sad expression on her face. It looked like she was crying. The girl's hair was braided and she had on white dress. She looked like an angel and a ghost at the same time.

That's when something clicked inside my head. "Flora, doesn't this girl look like someone we've met?" Flora bit her lip and looked at the painting. "Now that you mention it, something about her is familiar. Wait!" Flora brought her hand to her mouth and gasped. "Doesn't that girl like the one we saw last night?"

"Exactly," I agreed. "The ghost girl is connected to this mansion and the mayor."

"Did somebody else see her?" Flora asked. I shook my head. "I don't think so. If nobody in town dares look at her, I doubt anyone here would. So how could they have known what she looks like?"

Flora and I were both trying to think of a solution to this puzzle when we heard soft _thud_ coming from downstairs. "Did you hear that?" Flora asked me. "Could it be Ned?" I wasn't sure who it was, but it would be dangerous to go down and check. We'd definitely be caught. There was another _thud_. Someone was trying to cause a racket.

"Luke, look!" Flora was standing by the room's window and pointing outside. I walked over and looked out. We could see Ned walking away from the mansion, towards the path that led to town. "He's gone!" I observed. "That means... someone else is in the house with us." A nervous feeling was growing in the pit of my stomach. Something about this seemed off.

"We should investigate that sound," Flora said. "It's coming from downstairs. Maybe it's the mayor?" I decided that investigating the sound was a worthy risk. What if it was the mayor? Flora and I headed back down the stairs and were standing in the main hall of the mansion. We heard the _thud_ again. It seemed like it was coming from further down. Did the mansion have a basement?

"Search for a door leading to a basement or cellar," I told Flora. "The source of the noise must be down there." Flora and I split up, trying to find something that would lead us to the basement. I entered the mansion's kitchen. It was clean and obviously had been in use recently. There was a pitcher of water sitting on the table with three cups. Three? Did that mean there was a third person here in the mansion? There was also an empty silver tray with some crumbs on it. It was obvious that there had recently been food on it.

I noticed a picture frame laying face down on the counter. I picked it up and examined it. It was a family photo. There was a stately looking man, who I assumed was the mayor. Beside him was a beautiful woman with long hair. That must be his wife. She was holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. Behind her was another man, an older one. He had the same face as the mayor. Next to him was a tall man. He reminded me of Ned. He was lean and a bit odd looking. His expression was stone cold. Everyone else in the photo was smiling except for him. The final person in the photo was a little boy. He was dressed in a nice suit and was holding the hand of the tall man. I assumed that they were father and son.

This picture reveled that the mayor wasn't as lonely as I thought. At one time, he had a family made up of his wife and who I assumed to be his daughter. I couldn't say for certain who the other people in the picture were. Wait a minute. If the mayor had a daughter, where was she? I hadn't heard that the mayor had a daughter. Millie made it seem like he lived up here all alone. Could she be able to help us?

I left the kitchen and went to look for Flora. I found her in a large sitting room where she seemed to have found something. "Luke!" she exclaimed as she saw me. "I found this door and I think it might lead to the basement!" She pointed at a wooden door in the back of the room. "We'll go down in a second," I told her. "But I think I learned something important." I explained the picture to her and my belief that the mayor may have a daughter. Once Flora was all caught up, we decided to head down into the basement. I reached for the door's handle when a voice behind us shouted "STOP!"

Flora and I turned around and saw the ghost girl. She looked angry, but also frightened. How did she get in here? How hadn't we noticed her sneaking up behind us? "Leave this place," she warned. "Leave this place, please." Her voice had a pleading tone. It sounded like she wanted us to leave to protect ourselves. "Can you help us?" I asked the girl. She frowned and shook her head. "You know something," I told her. "We know you're no ghost, so spill it." The girl stayed silent, but gazed up at me. Her eyes seemed to look straight into my soul.

Suddenly, Flora rushed in front of me and grabbed the girl's shoulders. "Please help us!" Flora cried. "Where's the Professor? Where is he?" Flora set her head on the girl's shoulder and started to cry. The sudden shock of the girl's appearance and stress had caused Flora to breakdown. The ghost girl look down at Flora with a sad expression.

"I-I can't help you." The mysterious girl looked ready to cry herself. "Please leave," she repeated. "And you won't be hurt." There was another threat. "We can't do that," I told her. "Listen, we have a problem and I think you do to. We can work together to solve them both." The girl gave me a hopeful look as she was considering my offer. "I can't guarantee your safety," the girl said after a long pause. "If anything happens, I can't be held responsible."

I gave the girl a smile. We had a new partner, and hopefully one that would be the key to this mystery. Flora left the girl's shoulder and thanked her multiple times. She seemed to have recovered a bit. I was readying my questions for the girl when I heard the front door open. The girl seemed to enter a panic. "Go!" she yelled, as she ran over to a window and opened it up. "He's back. You must leave now." Her urgent tone convinced me that it was time to go. Flora went out the window first and then me.

Before the girl closed the window, she said, "Meet me in the alley from before tonight. Now, run away from this place and don't turn around until you get to town." With that, she closed the window and rushed off. It seemed that she was trying to escape the house too.

"Let's go!" I grabbed Flora's hand and the two of us ran as fast she we could towards the path. As we ran, my mind was deep in thought. We had finally made some progression in this case and I felt like we were getting close to finding the Professor. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, but a few were still missing and they were the most important. Hopefully, the ghost girl could answer all my questions and then we could finally know the truth behind Spectre's Cape.

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 **Reviews and criticism appreciated! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I have nothing to say, so...**

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Flora and I made it safely back to town, but we were tired. We ended up having take a little detour where the path had been destroyed by the explosion. By the time we returned, it was already midday. "What do we do now?" Flora asked. "We wait until tonight. Then we get our answers."

The two of us had a bite to eat at the cafe, but unfortunately Ailsa wasn't there. She was on her break and according to another waitress, was out with her boyfriend. "I wonder what he's like?" Flora said as she ate. "I bet he's tall and handsome." I shrugged as I continued to eat me my food. "You're so unromantic," Flora pouted. "Ailsa's boyfriend is at least better than you." I was a bit offended by this, but I tried not to show it.

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" Flora asked suddenly. I wasn't sure what my romantic experiences had to do with anything, especially considering all that had happened today. "No," I answered truthfully. "Romance isn't really my forte."

"I doubt you'd know romance if it hit you square on the head," Flora giggled. "That's not fair!" I retorted. "I've seen plenty of romance. I've just not interested in it myself."

"Tell me all about it," Flora demanded with a smile. "I want to hear all about this." I was a bit taken aback by Flora's openness. She had been so nervous and worried lately that it was hard for her to enjoy herself. When she was comfortable, her true personality showed. It seemed to be a bit more... outgoing than I had remembered. Perhaps some time with the Professor had gotten her to open up a bit.

"Well," I said, starting to get ready to impress her. "There was the time with Anton and Sophia, that was a bit of a depressing one. And then there was Randall and Angela, that one had a happy ending. There was also the Professor and Claire, but let's not talk about that. See I've had more than a few brushes with romance."

"Weren't all of those during investigations with Professor?"

"Maybe," I replied. "Why does it matter?" Flora sighed and set down her fork. "I really should give up on you," she said. "You're hopeless." I wasn't quite sure what she meant, but she stood up and looked ready to leave. "We should head back to the inn before tonight," she said. "It would be good to get some rest."

As Flora wanted, we returned to the inn and took a short nap. Before we knew it, night was approaching. When we were about to leave the inn, we were stopped by Aggie, who was wondering where were off to. We told her we were going to the beach. Flora said she wanted to try swimming at night. "Have fun you two," Aggie said, waving us off. "Be safe." I felt a bit bad lying to her, but I didn't want to reveal what we were doing.

Flora and I headed to the alley and arrived there before the girl. It was a getting a bit annoying to keep thinking of her as "the ghost girl", and I hoped she would tell us her name. There were still a few people roaming the streets at this hour and I hoped none of them would find us suspicious. After a bit of waiting, the ghost girl appeared.

"Thank you for meeting me," she bowed. "No, thank you," I replied. "We don't even know your name to properly thank you."

"I'm Isabella," the girl said. She looked tired, but was trying to stay awake for us. "I just want you both two know that once I tell you the things I know, you will be in danger."

"We're willing to take that risk," I reassured her. "So, please. Tell us everything you know about the Professor and about yourself. Why are you pretending to be a ghost?" Isabella took in a deep breath and began her story.

"I suppose I should start from the very beginning. My full name is Isabella Pemberton, the mayor's daughter." This was already valuable information. She was the baby in the picture. "My mother was very sick when I was born and my birth only made things worse. She died only a few months after I was born."

"I'm sorry," Flora said. Isabella gave her a small smile and continued on with her story. "Papa knew my mother's death was inevitable and he was distraught with it from even before I was born. That's why he kept me a secret. No one in town knew that I was born. Papa pretended like I was a stillborn, that I never existed. I was Papa's burden, a painful reminder of my mother. He said I looked just like her. Because of this, I never left the mansion. I didn't want Papa to suffer the consequences if I was discovered. He also never left, but for different reasons. His life had become gray and he could hardly do anything. He barely finished all his duties as mayor. The only light in both of our lives was my grandfather. He lived in the mansion too and helped Papa as best he could. Grandfather would always play or sing with me. He even taught me how to paint."

"Were those your paintings we found in the mansion?"

"Yes," Isabella nodded. "Also living in the mansion were my Uncle and his son. My Uncle was a bitter man. Papa beat him out for mayor and he never got over it. But when Grandfather was around, he seemed to calm Uncle's anger and we could all be a family, at least a little bit. And then my Grandfather got sick and was bedridden. I stayed by his side at every minute. I couldn't bear to see him go. I was only 7 at the time. Only a few days before his death, Grandfather called me to his room and told me he had a secret to tell me. He told me hidden somewhere in town was a great treasure. He said the treasure was something that would make me truly happy. I remember being excited and asking him where it was. He laughed and told me that he couldn't make finding it too easy. That would take out all the fun. Grandfather said it was in a magical hidden location. He said that if you sang nearby, the land would sing back. Then my Grandfather was gone, just like that." Poor Isabella suffered so much tragedy, but I wasn't sure what all of this had to do with the Professor. Still, I listened close to her story.

"Once my Grandfather died, my Uncle left the house. I never knew why. I thought Papa couldn't get any worse, but he did. He was a shell, void of emotion. I never saw him smile. That left me and my cousin, Ned. Ned seemed to have inherited his father's hatred. He never liked me and bullied me often. He and I managed to live life comfortably off Papa's money from working and some money Grandfather left behind. Around a year ago, I was painting a picture of the treasure land my Grandfather told me about. I had never been able to search for it, but it had always been in my mind. Ned found me painting and asked me what I was doing. I told him what Grandfather had told me. That was when things turned to trouble. Ned became obsessed with the treasure. My Grandfather was extremely wealthy when he was young and Ned believed that this treasure consisted of riches beyond our wildest dreams. He wanted it so bad. That's when he sent me to search for it. He told me only I could find it since I was the only one who had heard about it straight from Grandfather, but I refused to search for it. I didn't want to risk exposing Papa. One morning, I went downstairs and found Papa bound and gagged in a chair with Ned right behind him, knife in hand. I was terrified and Ned told me that if I wanted Papa to be okay, I had to find him that treasure."

"That's awful!" Flora exclaimed. "If only we had known earlier... We saw Ned today." It was obvious that Ned had lied to us. There was something more sinister about him that I had imagined. "Ned didn't want anyone else to find out about the treasure, so he sent me to search for it at night. The only way I knew to search was to sing and pray that the land would sing back. This was the only clue Grandfather gave me. Ned put Papa in the basement, treating him as a hostage. He promised no harm would come to him if I found the treasure. I searched for months, but found nothing. I was afraid I would be caught, but fortunately, an old town legend was enough of an explanation to satisfy the townspeople. I was simply a ghost, drifting through the night. I became desperate. I needed help, and by accident, I dragged your friend, Professor Layton, into all of this." My ears perked up at the mention of the Professor.

"I had read about him in the paper. An article mentioned that he had solved many mysteries and helped many people. I secretly sent a letter to him, asking for help. I pretended to be concerned about the ghost haunting the town, but I hoped he could find this treasure. I didn't think he would actually come, but he did and for a while I was hopeful. But then Ned found out and he knew that I had asked the Professor to come here. The Professor had just barely started his investigation when Ned ambushed him and took him hostage."

"The Professor wouldn't just let himself be taken like that!" I protested. Isabella looked like she was about to cry. "It's my fault," she said. "Ned confronted the Professor and pretended to hold me hostage. He said that unless the Professor succumbed to him, he would hurt me."

"And the Professor couldn't let a lady be hurt like that," I sighed. "So he gave in." Isabella nodded. "Now Ned had two prisoners and I still hadn't found this treasure. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't go to anyone for help otherwise Ned was going to hurt Papa. And then you two came and I was afraid you would be dragged into all of this too. I didn't want anyone else getting hurt." Isabella was sobbing now. She was gripping her dress so tight that her knuckles were white. Flora gave her a hug and tried to console her.

With all this new information, I began to formulate a plan. All of the mysteries had been solved, except for one, this treasure. If we could find it, we could save the Professor and Isabella's father. "We need to find this treasure," I told Flora and Isabella. "We can save your father and the Professor."

"I don't know where it is," Isabella explained. "I've searched for so long and found nothing."

"No, we'll find it," I told her. "Flora and I will start searching in the morning. We know someone who might be able to help us. You should go get some rest." We thanked Isabella for all her help and then she disappeared into the dark. I felt bad for her. For an entire year, she had lived in fear with her father's life on the line.

"What are we going to do?" Flora asked. "Ned is dangerous. If we aren't careful, the Professor could get hurt."

"We need to stay calm. I want to talk to Millie in the morning and see if she can help us. An outside opinion could valuable. Then we're going to call the police."

"The police?" Flora asked. "If Ned finds out the police are coming, won't he hurt the Professor and Isabella's father?"

"Not if we're careful. I have someone in mind to call. They'll help us." Flora reached out and grabbed my hand. She gave it a squeeze and gave a deep breath. "Do you think we can do this?"

"Definitely," I said. "We're going to put the lid on this puzzle once and for all."

"You sound so brave and handsome when you say things like that..."

"What?"

"Nothing," Flora smiled. "Let's go back."

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 **Reviews and criticism appreciated! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**One more chapter after this (and it's already finished)! This was fun, but I think I'll be returning to my normal story subject soon. I've already rewritten the first few chapters of a Tale of Two Hearts and plan on posting those soon. Look forward to it.**

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Another long night passed by. It was hard to wait, but we had no choice. Any more suspicious movement during the night could alert Ned to our plans. We had to wait. Fortunately, Aggie was sound asleep when we returned to the inn in the middle of the night. We wouldn't have to answer any questions about our whereabouts. After sneaking back into our rooms, Flora fell asleep and I stayed awake. Truthfully, I was more nervous than I was letting on. I still didn't know how to find this treasure. We couldn't call the police until we discovered where it was. The only way we could draw Ned out was with the treasure. Otherwise, he would continue to hold the Professor and the mayor hostage. My entire plan could become a disaster if the pieces didn't fit just right. And right now, one of the those pieces was still missing.

Finally, morning came, but it didn't make me feel any better. When Flora woke up, she immediately noticed that I was anxious. "You didn't sleep at all!" she exclaimed. "You have bags under your eyes." I simply shrugged. There was little I could do about it. "I'll see if Aggie can get some tea ready," Flora said, a bit worried. She stood up and walked to the door. "It'll help."

"We don't have time for that!" I snapped. I covered my mouth with my hands in embarrassment. My words sounded more angry than I had intended. Flora slowly walked back to the bed and sat down. She stared straight at the ground. "Sorry," I apologized. "I'm just a little tense." Flora nodded her head, but said nothing. "Let's just go straight to Millie's," I said. "I'm praying that she has some information for us." I stood up, grabbing my bag and hat. Flora followed behind, still silent. She was making me feel guilty now.

"Leaving so early?" Aggie asked, as Flora and I entered the inn's lobby. "Yeah," I nodded. "We've got some more business in town." Aggie told us to have a good time and returned to reading her magazine. Outside the sky was grey and filled with clouds. It looked like it could rain any minute. It matched my mood perfectly. "Should we grab an umbrella?" Flora asked, finally speaking to me again. "No," I replied. "We should be fine without one."

We quickly headed to Millie's house, not even stopping to eat this morning. Things were too important now. I couldn't stand to waste anymore time, even for eating. We walked up to her house and I knocked on the door. While I waited for Millie to come, I noticed a strange tree that was growing in her front yard. Its base was wide, but it seemed to be hollow on the inside. I had never seen a tree that had grown like that before. "What a strange tree," Flora said aloud, mimicking my thoughts. We watched a small bird land on the ground beside the tree.

"How adorable!" Flora exclaimed, walking towards the bird. The bird raised its feathers in alarm and gave out a yell. The bird's sound seemed to reverberate throughout the air. It was like it had been amplified. Flora let out a small yelp. She had been startled by the noise. Suddenly, all the pieces came together in my head. Could this be the final solution to our puzzle? That was when Millie answered the door. "What consistent company," she laughed. "You kind kids make this old lady's heart melt with all yer visits."

"Millie," I said seriously. She looked a bit surprised at my tone. "Yes?" she wondered. "What kind of tree is that?" I pointed at the tree where the bird was. "Can't really say," Millie mused. "My husband planted that. Bless his soul. I always thought it was an odd tree with its hollow center and all. I'd never seen a thing like it."

"Are there anymore like it near by?" Millie paused for a second to think. "I've never seen one down here in town, but I think they grow up there in the mountains. Up by the mayor's place. Maybe the soil way up there is better for them or something." Her words confirmed my suspicions. I knew where the treasure was. "Thanks, Millie," I said, shaking the old lady's hand vigorously. She gave me a confused look. Flora also watched me in confusion. "What's going on?" Flora asked. "You look like you've discovered something amazing."

"I have!" I exclaimed. "Millie, we need to use your phone. It's an emergency." Millie led us into the house and showed us to the phone. "What's going on?" she asked. "You both seem to be a bit on edge today."

"It's nothing we can't handle," I reassured her as I dialed the number of the Scotland Yard. The phone rang for a few seconds and then someone picked up. "Hello, this is the Scotland Yard. Do you have an emergency?" a feminine voice answered. "Yes," I told her. "Is there an Inspector Chelmey there?"

"Yes, he's here today," she said. I gave a sigh of relief. I was worried that old grump could have retired or left the force by now. "Can I talk to him?" I asked. She told me she was connecting my line to his office. The phone was silent for a moment and then a familiar voice picked up. "Who is this?" Chelmey demanded. In the background, I heard the clattering of something falling to the ground. Chelmey started to yell at who I could only assume was Barton. "Inspector?" I said. "Hmm, oh yes," he replied, refocusing his attention on me. "Who is this?"

"Luke Triton."

"..."

"Umm... Inspector?" I asked. Did something else happen? "Aren't you in America, boy?" Chelmey said slowly. "No, Inspector," I sighed. "If I was, I wouldn't be calling you, now would I?"

"I don't need any of your sarcasm now. What do you need?"

"I need you and some other men to come down to Spectre's Cape. There's a dangerous man here and he's holding two hostages. Possibly, three if you want to be technical. He currently has the mayor of Spectre's Cape, Mr. Pemberton, and the Professor in captivity."

"Layton? What's he got to do with this?"

"Inspector, I don't have time to chat. Get here as quick as possible and when you do, ask for directions up to the mayor's mansion. It's on the mountain that you can see from town. I need to go, but I'll be up there too with Flora."

"Wait," the Inspector said, but I put the phone back down. "The police are on their way," I told Millie and Flora. "Now just what is going on?" Millie asked. "You both are worrying me."

"We're fine," I promised. I grabbed Flora's hand and headed towards the door. "We need to go," I told her. "I know where the treasure is. This is our chance to save the Professor."

"You figured it out?" Flora said, astonished. I gave her a smile. "What did you expect? I am the Professor's apprentice." She smiled back and the two of us ran out the door. "Where do we need to go?" Flora asked. I pointed up to the mayor's home. "Back up there. That's where our answer lies. We'll have to take the path we came down from last time and we need to hurry. I don't know when the police will get here, but we can't waste anymore time. I've got this nagging feeling that we've been found out. The Professor could be in danger."

"Got it!" Flora nodded. "Let's go!" The two of us ran as fast as we could towards the mountain path. Neither of us had been more worried in our lives. Not even the time with the Azran golems had I felt as nervous as this. This time, someone's fate was resting in my hands and if anything happened to them, it would be my fault. Thank goodness the mountain path was clear. I was afraid Ned might have blocked it to discourage future visitors. He hadn't been that smart though. It didn't take to long for Flora and I to reach the top.

The giant mansion was in our sights. Now came the hard part. I had to find Isabella. Would she be here? I was one of the curtains in the upstairs windows move. It was the same room as before, which I know realized was the room with all the paintings. It was Isabella's room. She was here and she must have seen us. Flora and I snuck up the front door, trying to stay out of view, just in case. I heard footsteps inside the house and the large front door creaked open.

Isabella stuck her head out and whispered, "Why are you both here? If Ned catches us, we'll be in big trouble!" I noticed she had some bruises on her body. Had Ned found out about us and punished her?

"I know where the treasure is," I told her. Her eyes widened. "Where?" she asked. "Come with us," I responded. "We'll all go together. It's your treasure after all." Isabella stepped outside and gently closed the door. I noticed that she had no shoes on, but I doubt she cared. "Follow me," I told her and Flora. We around the mansion to the backyard. "It's in there," I said, pointing at the forest. "Why would it be there?" Isabella asked. "Grandfather's riddle made it sound like it was in the village." I shook my head. "I'll show you."

The three of us approached the forest. Looking closely, I could now see that there was a line of trees that looked different from the rest. They seemed to form a path that lead deeper into the forest. They were the same trees that I had seen outside Millie's house. I took the two girls a bit further into the forest, just to be safe. "Now, Isabella. Can you sing a little bit?" Isabella nodded, but she seemed to be confused. She started to sing a soft lullaby. If she had been singing that instead of making those moaning noises, perhaps the people in town wouldn't have been so scared about a ghost. As she sang, her voice seemed to amplify and echo. It was almost like the forest was singing back to her. "The t-trees," Isabella stammered. There were tears in her eyes. "They... they sang back."

"These trees are a special kind," I explained. "The grow with a hollow inside, which makes it a perfect tool to create an echo. Your grandfather probably knew about these trees and thought you'd enjoy them. As a young girl, you'd probably think singing trees were something out of a fairytale. It was intended to be a sweet surprise before the one he prepared for you."

"I feel so stupid," Isabella cried. "All this time, the answer was right here and I never thought to even look. Papa could have been saved so long ago." Flora put her hands around Isabella to comfort her. "But now we've found it and we can save your Papa. You have to be strong. He's counting on you right now." Isabella wiped away her tears, and told me to "lead the way". I knew the treasure couldn't be too much further into the forest. Isabella's grandfather wouldn't have wanted his granddaughter to get lost while finding her treasure.

Suddenly, the trees gave way to a small clearing. Inside the clearing was a tiny house. The roof was pink and the walls were white. It looked a playhouse, perfect for a little girl. The three of us approached it. "What's this?" Flora asked. "The treasure," I answered. "As we made our way up here, I started to doubt that the treasure Isabella's grandfather left behind was something of material worth, like money. A little girl like Isabella wouldn't have much use for that, especially since her family was pretty wealthy already. No, it was something more special than that.

"Do you see that?" I asked. I pointed to a small golden plate that was affixed to the front of the house. "Isabella, you should read it." She carefully approached it and bent down. She rubbed some of the dirt off it and started to read. "To our dearest daughter and granddaughter, Isabella. We love you so much. Love, Papa and Grandfather." Isabella was silent and then started to cry again. "I-is this what grandfather left for me?" she asked. I gave her a smile and walked next to her. Flora did the same. "Your father deeply regrets what he did to you. Though he pretended that you didn't exist, he loved you very much. He just didn't know how to show it," I explained. "I bet your grandfather came up with this idea of giving you your own little place out here in the woods to play. The two of them probably worked so hard to build it. Neither of them could wait to see the smile on your face when they showed you. But unfortunately, your grandfather got sick and never got to see it, but he wanted to leave one final gift to you before he died."

"But why didn't Papa tell me about it?" I shrugged my shoulders. "You'd have to ask him, but I'm sure he had a good reason." Isabella tears were starting to dry up and she gave us a smile. "Papa and grandfather... both of them cared about me so much. I never even knew. Papa... I'm coming to save you. Don't worry." Isabella stood up and said, "We have to go save Papa and your friend." Flora and I nodded.

"How pathetically sweet," a deep voice said from behind us. We all turned to see Ned standing at the base of the clearing. "Now that we're done reminiscing, let's get to business. Where's the treasure?" I stepped in front of Flora and Isabella, almost to shield them. They both were frozen in place. "Let's not try any heroics," Ned taunted. "Otherwise, I'll have to use this." Ned reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. He stuck the gun out and pointed it at me. "So... what'll it be?"

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 **Reviews and criticism appreciated. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here it is, the final chapter. I hope you enjoyed this story!**

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I held my breath for a second. Ned was ready to shoot at any moment, but I had to stand my ground. I couldn't let anything happen to Flora or Isabella. "Where's the treasure?" Ned demanded again. "I'll shoot if you don't answer. I'm no fool."

"But you are!" I shouted. "This is it. This is the treasure. It's nothing more than a sweet present. There's nothing here of value to you. Nothing here that would satisfy your or your father's bitterness." I hoped my words would make him back down. This treasure he had dreamed of was only valuable to one person and it wasn't him. "You're lying!" he screamed. "Tell me the truth!" Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in my shoulder and I stumbled backwards a bit. I screamed and grabbed my shoulder. My hand became sticky with blood. He had actually shot me.

"Luke!" Flora yelled as she was about to rush in front of me. "Don't move," I commanded. "I can't let you get hurt!" Flora started to cry, but stayed in her spot. I didn't know what to do now. It looked like Ned didn't believe me. In my head, I only had one solution. In a few seconds, I was going to tell the girls to run away. If Ned shot at them, I would take the bullets and pray that they could make it away safely. It was our only choice. "This is it," I thought to myself. I was about to tell the girls to run away when suddenly, twenty men ran into the clearing.

"Put that gun down!" a loud voice boomed, echoing through the clearing. Ned dropped the gun and raised his hands in the air. He turned around and found himself facing a significant number of Scotland Yard officers. I gave a sigh of relief. Inspector Chelmey had really come through for me. He was the source of the voice. A few officers walked over to Ned and arrested him on the spot. As he was being taken away, he gave me an evil glare. If looks could kill, I'd definitely be dead. I touched my hand to my shoulder again and it was still bleeding. The pain was becoming too intense. I felt like falling over. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. "Luke!" Flora shouted. "Stay with me. You're fine." Her arms were comforting, so much that I almost passed out.

"I'm fine," I told her. "I just need a bit of treatment and need the bullet to be removed." Isabella pointed to something on the ground and screamed. It was a bloody bullet. "Oh," I said, trying to fake a laugh. "I guess the bullet won't be a problem."

"This is all my fault," Isabella cried. "I'm so sorry. I can't ever forgive myself for this."

"Both of you relax," I said calmly. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You should still see a doctor," someone said behind me. It was Inspector Chelmey with Barton standing quietly behind him, eating something. "That's a nasty wound. You probably chipped some bone." Thanks, Inspector, but you're not really helping. "We'll get you checked up back in London," he reassured me. "Wrap it in this for now." He handed me some bandages. Flora helped me wrap them around my shoulder and pin them. I was surprised at Chelmey's kindness. Maybe some of his wife rubbed off on him. "Now where are those hostages?" he asked.

Flora and I looked at each other in alarm. We had almost forgotten about the Professor. "Follow us, Inspector!" I shouted, grabbing Flora, with Isabella coming behind us. The three of us ran into the house with a couple officers behind us. We came to the basement door, which was locked. Now was one of those times when I wish Emmy was still around. "I guess I'll break it down myself," I said, getting ready to kick the door. "Be careful," Flora said. "You're hurt." I winked at her, trying to make her feel a bit better. I gave the door a hard kick and it caved in. It was a bit easier than I thought it was going to be.

Flora, Isabella, and I started to walk down the stairs. I told the officers to wait upstairs for a few minutes. The basement was dark and damp. In the basement's far corner, there were two figures slumped against the wall, bound and gagged. "Professor!" "Papa!"

The three of us quickly started untying the two bound men. They both seemed to be unconscious at the time. The first person to come to was the mayor. I noticed that he visibly looked old, whether that was from age or from being held hostage I couldn't tell. His hair was graying and he looked tired. When he came to, he looked at the three of us in bewilderment. "W-what?" he stammered. His voice was hoarse. "Isabella?"

"Papa," Isabella cried, wrapping her arms around him. She held him tight and he did the same to her. "Papa, I was so worried. I-I was so afraid." She was sobbing now, but didn't stop holding her father. "Isabella, I'm so sorry," the mayor said. There were tears in his eyes. "I left you alone for so long. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? It looks like you're hurt. What are these bruises?"

"It's all okay, Papa," Isabella smiled. "Because now we're together."

"Bring him upstairs," I told Isabella. "He needs some food and water after being down here so long. Let him talk to the police too. Flora and I will stay down here with the Professor." Isabella nodded and helped her father stand up. His legs were weak and he barely managed to stay up. Slowly, he was able to hobble to the stairs and out of the basement. Now it was just Flora, the Professor and I. The Professor still seemed to be unconscious.

"Luke," Flora whimpered. "I'm worried. The Professor hasn't woken up yet. Do you think... do you think he might be..."

"No," I said firmly. "Give him a minute. He's the great Professor Layton. He's been through worse than this." Flora held the Professor's hand and tried whispering to him. "Professor, it's me. It's Flora. Please wake up." Flora looked ready to cry when the Professor's eyes slowly opened. "W-who?" he mumbled. He seemed to be in the same condition that Isabella's father was. The Professor was able to sit himself up a bit and he turned towards Flora. "Flora? How did you?" He couldn't finish his words before Flora was giving him a hug. She was crying now to.

"P-professor! I was so worried about you! You didn't come home and I was so scared!"

"I'm sorry for worrying you," the Professor smiled, as he embraced Flora. "That wasn't very gentlemanly of me." Flora pulled back from the hug and looked the Professor in the eye. "No, it wasn't," she smiled. The two of them looked like father and daughter. I'd never seen Flora happier than right now. "But how did you find me?" the Professor asked. He seemed to have recovered a bit of strength now that he was awake. He appeared to be able to hold a steady conversation. Flora pointed at me in response to the Professor's question. The Professor's head turned to me and he looked a bit confused.

"You couldn't have forgotten me already, Professor!" I pouted. "I know I'm a bit older, but that's no excuse." The Professor seemed dazed. "Could it be?" he asked. "It really is you."

"Luke Triton, in the flesh," I smiled. "I called Luke out to come help me," Flora explained. "If anyone could help you, it was him. He came right away. He was really worried about you, sometimes even more than me." I turned away from them, a bit embarrassed. The Professor started to stand up with Flora helping him. "You're injured!" he exclaimed. I looked down at my shoulder. Some of the blood had soaked through the bandages. "This? I'll be fine. You need more help than me, Professor." I noticed that he didn't have his signature hat on. It was lying a bit away from him on the floor. I walked over and picked it up. "What's a gentleman without his hat?" I asked, handing it to him. He took it from me and put it on his head. "I see you have yours," the Professor said, pointing to my hat. "I'd never leave home without it," I grinned.

The three of us headed towards the basement stairs. The Professor went up first and was surprised to find that the police were there. They helped him up and gave him some tea and food. He took a seat beside Isabella's father as the police questioned them. While they were being questioned, Flora pulled me aside. "Are you sure you're fine?" she asked. "Yes, I'll be fine until we get to back to London. I promise to go to the hospital then," I tried to reassure. "Luke," she said quietly. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for what you did back there. I know that you were going to risk your life to protect Isabella and me. You got hurt protecting us."

"It was really no big deal," I said as I started to turn a bit red. Her comments were a bit embarrassing. "Well, I just wanted to thank you," Flora smiled. "And do this." Flora reached her arms around me, catching me a bit off guard. She leaned forward slowly and kissed me.

* * *

 **A Few Weeks Later...**

I set the newspaper down on the table with a satisfied thump. "Did you see?" I asked Flora, who was making us some tea. "Looks like Ned got what he deserved," I told her. "He was sentenced to jail for life for kidnapping and attempted murder." Flora gave a sigh of relief. "That makes me feel good. By the way, did you tell the Professor about university yet?" She set down my tea and took a seat next to me. "No," I smiled. "I was planning on telling him today."

"I'm so excited," Flora said. "We'll be going to school together." Flora would be attending Gressenheller as well. "Did you tell him the other thing?" Flora wondered. I turned a bit red. "I'll let him figure that out on his own," I replied sheepishly. "Honestly, he's probably figured it out already."

"You're right," Flora agreed. "He's always one step ahead of us. That's the Professor after all."

"What am I?" the Professor asked as he walked into the room. "Nothing!" Flora and I said in unison. He gave a laugh and sat down. He took a sip of the tea that Flora had prepared for him. "This is quite excellent, Flora," he complimented her. "Thank you, Professor," Flora smiled. "I do my best." Flora sat down next to me and grabbed the paper. "Anything else interesting?" she asked. "There's something about the new opera that that friend of yours is starring in. I've heard it's really good."

"There's also something about great vacation spots," I added. "Look! Monte d'Or is on it!" Flora and I kept looking through the paper when the Professor started to laugh. "You both seem nervous. You wouldn't be hiding anything from me, would you?" Flora and I were silent. "Well," I said. "I wanted to surprise you, but I guess you figured us out. I'll be attending Gressenheller this fall. I supposed to come to London in a few weeks to get ready, but I ended up coming a bit early when Flora wrote me."

"I already knew that," the Professor smiled as he set down his cup of tea. "Dean Delmona knew you were coming and couldn't keep it a secret. He told me right away." So much for my surprise. "There's nothing else you want to share?" the Professor questioned. Flora and I looked at each other and turned red. "Okay," the Professor smiled. "You don't have to tell me." He stood back up and grabbed his coat from the rack. "I have to head to the University to pick up a few things. You two stay out of trouble." I heard the door shut and I gave a sigh.

"He knows, doesn't he?" I asked, my face bright red. "Yep," Flora said. We both looked at each other a bit embarrassed. "If he already knows," Flora giggled. "Then I guess it would be okay to do this again." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. Then she grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight. "Can you believe it took us this long?" Flora said. "What do you mean?" I asked. "You've always been dense," she explained. "I've liked you since I left St. Mystere. I was always nervous about saying anything though. You were always so attached to the Professor. I thought you liked him more than me!"

"Well... maybe," I said. Flora hit me on my bad shoulder. "Ow," I yelled. "I'm kidding!"

"Good," she said. "A gentleman should never be rude to a lady."

Later that day, the Professor came home. Flora was reading a book and I was working on a puzzle that I had found. I was surprised when I heard him open the door because instead of hearing one step of footsteps, I heard two. The Professor entered the room and beside him was a young boy, who could only have been 10 years old at most. His hair was red and he was skinny. He looked a bit scared and was hiding behind the Professor.

"Who's this?" Flora asked, pointing at the boy. "This is Alfendi," the Professor said. "He'll be living with us from now on."

"Really?" Flora exclaimed. "He's so cute!"

"I've already properly adopted him," the Professor said. "He has a lot of learn and I hope you both can help teach him a few things."

"You bet, Professor!" I shouted. Flora nodded her head in agreement. The Professor asked Alfendi is he wanted to play with Flora. Alfendi nodded and walked towards Flora. She took him into the other room to play. "I didn't see that coming," I told the Professor. "I didn't know you wanted any more people around the house."

"When I met the boy," the Professor explained. "There was just something about him. I had the same feeling I had when there's a puzzle around." I raised my eyebrow, a bit confused, but I went with it. "Well, he seems like a good kid," I said. "It'll be nice to have him around."

"I was hoping you and Flora could watch him whenever I'm gone," the Professor said. "It would be a big help and good practice for the future."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, my boy. Nothing at all."

* * *

 **Reviews and criticism appreciated! :)**


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